Type 2 Diabetes Explained!

Q - What is Type 2 diabetes Mellitus?

A - This is the commonest type of diabetes mellitus that affects people worldwide. It occurs when a person is able to produce some insulin but the insulin is unable to perform its function of facilitating the entrance of glucose into the cells of the body. There are 2 explanations:

1. The cells of the body don't have enough 'gates' for insulin to act on.
OR
2. The 'gates' just don't allow insulin to open them.

Q - What is the cause?

A - The definitive cause of type 2 diabetes is not yet known. But it is thought that resistance to the effect of insulin plays a major role. It was also noticed to run in families and so would have a genetic component. At present it's agreed that an interplay of both genetic (the genes we inherited from our parents) and environmental (external influences - the way we live, what we do, our eating habits etc.) factors are responsible for the disease.

Q - What are the risk factors?

A - A risk factor is anything that increases your chances of developing a condition.

Diabetes can afect anybody. However your risk of developing it increases if any of the following are true.

1. You are above 45-50 years old. In general, the older you get the higher your risk.
2. You have a blood relative who has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the past. This means if a father has diabetes, any of his children have a higher risk but not his wife or his in-laws.
3. You are overweight or obese.

These three are the big risk factors. Others include ethnicity, sedentary lifestyles and presence of other diseases.

Q - what are the signs and symptoms?

A - You should suspect you have diabetes if you have any of the following symptoms:

1. Excessive thirst.
2. Frequent drinking of water.
3. Frequent passing of urine.
4. Eating a lot.
5. Frequent infections etc.

But it is possible to have diabetes and not have any of the symptoms. In fact many of the people diagnosed with diabetes were discovered while they were being treated for other illnesses or while they were just having a routine medical check-up. You should discuss how frequently to do blood sugar check-ups with your doctor.

Q - How is it treated?

A - Type 2 diabetes is treated with diabetic pills, diet and exercise.

Adopting healthier eating habits and encouraging an increase in daily physical activities are very important to the success of treatment. Regular daily activities like walking can be as effective - or even more effective - than registering in the gym. Click to learn more about Diabetes Treatment.

Q - What complications can develop from it?

A - If diabetes is allowed to go on without proper treatment, it can get worse causing kidney damage, blindness, impotence, or loss of a foot. It can also cause some conditions that can quickly cause death if not treated quickly.

Q - How can it be prevented?

A - Research has shown that by overweight people can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 50% if they lose weight , eat healthy meals and perform regular exercises.

It has also been found that some drugs like metformin can reduce the risk of developing diabetes but not as much as the combination of exercise, healthy eating and appropriate weight loss.

Published - May, 2006